Passion Pit: Q & A

By Ashley Goodman | gargoyle@flagler.edu

In their early beginnings, Passion Pit started out as a one-man band but quickly spiraled into something much greater. The boys have received both critical and commercial acclaim since their 2008 album, Manners. Their sophomore album, Gossamer, released last year, gives an insightful and personal glimpse into lead singer Michael Angelako’s troubled mind.

Guitarist and keyboardist Ian Hultquist talked to us via phone last month about the band’s writing process, what he’s been listening to lately and Passion Pit’s future.

You guys have been through a lot as a band since you first broke out on the scene, what has changed the most in your life for better or worse?

The only thing that has changed is that I’ve completely immersed myself in music. When the band was first starting out, I wasn’t totally sure what I wanted to do. I had gone to school for music but it wasn’t really quite where it is now where all I do every day is work on music. I think it’s incredible that I’m able to do that.

What was the writing process like for Gossamer?

Well, Michael writes all the songs and records them and then we’re just in the studio trying to put it together. The way it works is that he’ll bring songs to the rest of the band, myself included, and we’ll basically just deconstruct all the songs and bring them back together to create a live show.

What do you think is the biggest difference between Gossamer and Manners?

I think that Michael has really grown as a songwriter and has really been able to define more of a sound for the band. We’ve always wanted to go bigger so I think that with Gossamer, Michael really achieved the bigger lush sound that he once knew all along.

What is the biggest obstacle you’ve had to overcome so far?

I think the biggest thing, really for any band is being together, making things happen and playing music together. The hardest thing is to keep doing it and to keep making it fun.

How have you been coping with the crazy tour schedule?

Touring is extremely difficult. A lot of people glamorize it and it is amazing that we go around the world playing music but it’s really hard to do that. The hardest thing about it is that you’re always away from home and you miss out on a lot of things. Now that we’ve all been touring together for five years, we’re all pretty good at doing our routines, we all know each other way better than I think we realize we do.

What’s been on your playlist these days?

I just downloaded the new Big Black Delta record. It’s really good.

Are you guys excited about coming to the oldest city in America?

Yeah, I think it’s gonna be great. It’s going to be near the end of our tour so I think we’ll all be excited to go home.

Have you guys been here before?

I think this is our first time.

What’s next for you guys?

I think once we finish the tour which is going to take us into November, we’re gonna take a month or two to chill out then we’ll start working on our next record.

Passion Pit will be playing at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre Friday, November 8 at 6:30. You can purchase tickets at www.staugamphitheatre.com